Haunted Statesboro

Just a hop, skip and jump away is Savannah, Ga., one of the most haunted cities in the country. But what many people don’t realize is there are plenty of hometown haunts right here in Statesboro. From local restaurants to abandoned buildings, our college town has its fair share of ghost stories to keep you up at night.

Halloween may have been in full swing all weekend, but if you’re looking to stretch it once more to the actual night, take a break from the costume parties and spend the night ghost hunting.

(Obligatory if you dare warning inserted here).

Harville House

Located on Harville Road, the property was purchased in 1862 by Samuel Winkler Harville, who was a delegate from Bulloch County sent to the 1861 Secession Convention in Milledgeville. He voted for Georgia to secede during the convention. His son built the house in 1894 as a small, one-story farmhouse. Additions were added over generations and by 1946, the Harville House was a self-sustaining farm. However, in the 70’s the house was abandoned.

The hauntings occurred when two women died in the house but their deaths went unnoticed and their possessions remained. It is said that the two women can be seen in their rocking chairs from the front porch.

There is an added bonus of the Harville Cemetery, which is located a quarter mile away from the property. While the cemetery is not haunted, it is known to be a rather spooky addition to haunted trip.

The Beaver House

The house was built in 1911 by John Alexander McDougald, a former mayor of Statesboro, and inherited down the family line until it eventually became the The Beaver House Inn & Restaurant that we know today. There is said to be six different ghosts that haunt the property, mostly from the family, including Ruth McDougald, who is one of the great-grandmothers, as well as two uncles and an aunt. There are, however, two ghosts in particular who are the most notable. One is Roy Beaver, one of the grandfathers, who stood at 6’6” weighing 480 lbs. The other is a girl named Annie who died on the same property that Pizza Hut now sits on, when she fell out of the tree she was climbing . Her spirit is the most prevalent of the six.

The ghosts are not harmful and many patrons only see them as glimpses or shadows, a blink-and-you-miss-it moment that is waved off. However, it has been known for small pranks to be played, locked doors to come unlocked and silverware to go missing.

Meat Packing Plant

The most notorious haunting in Statesboro, the former meatpacking plant was the sight of a gruesome mass murder during the Great Depression. The owner set fire to the building but not before putting chains on all the doors and blocking the exits, trapping 23 employees inside. The owner then shot himself in the head, committing suicide.

People have reported seeing shadows running towards exits and the image of a woman through a third floor window, stricken with fear. During a full moon, it is said you can hear the sounds of gunshots and screams.

Old Ghost House

One of the scarier hauntings in Bulloch County simply because not much is known about it. Robertson Road is located in Brooklet, just outside of Statesboro, and it is said that if one drives down it, an orange light will begin to appear, followed by a man digging a ditch. After a certain amount of time, the man will begin to approach the car, but will disappear before ever reaching it. No one knows who the man is, why he is digging or what the orange light is meant for. However as a result, the road is been nicknamed “Ghost Road.”